


Survival Theory

by Star_Phoenix



Series: New History [2]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF everyone, Continued AU, Dark, Dark Phoenix - Freeform, Erik Has Feelings, Erik Logic Is The Best Logic, He's shows up later, M/M, Poor Charles, literally it all goes to hell, onslaught - Freeform, someone protect them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:15:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10091693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Phoenix/pseuds/Star_Phoenix
Summary: It's been fourteen months since the defeat of Apocalypse and now the X-Men are hailed as heroes, but when a disaster caused by a team member strikes, it's up to Erik to pick up the pieces and keep them together. But when Stryker gets into the mix and threatens the safety of all mutants, Erik realizes he may be in over his head.OrIn which Dark Phoenix is a thing and Erik is caught up in too many agendas, but that doesn't stop Stryker from deciding that the World's Most Powerful Telepath must be silenced, permanently. So, as always, Erik has to figure out how to save him, no matter the cost.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And here's the Dark Phoenix/Onslaught Sequel! I'm really excited to do this since I saw Logan yesterday. Hope you guys enjoy this! :)

Fourteen months to the day, fourteen months since the day Apocalypse died. 

And everything had changed. 

The school had been rebuilt and thanks to millions of dollars in funds from outside sources, had expanded the entirety of the campus. New buildings had been builts and now there were almost seven hundred students compared to the one hundred the year before. Many companies had come forward and provided support and financial backing, all while politicians were pushing for Xavier's School to be counted as an actual campus.

All teachers, well mostly Erik in that sense, had been cleared of all wrongdoing in previous crimes they had committed as a thanks from the UN. And despite Soviet and American tensions running high, the world had come to an odd agreement that it was not right to push these charges any further. 

And yet, there were things that changed a lot more than anyone realized.

"Oh my god,  _Charles_ ," Erik yawned, squeezing the telepath with his arm slightly as he murmured his words into the smaller man's shoulder, "shut up. I can hear you thinking. I'm trying to sleep. Some of us are teaching the children how to spar."

Charles laughed when Erik's nose was shoved against his shoulder blades. "I know, I know. But I just sent my theory to get published and I'm really nervous!"

"You'll do fine  _Dr._ Xavier." The other man laughed before he moved, kissing his partner's hair before saying, "Come on, go to sleep. You need it. You get cranky when you don't sleep and I saw you snap at Alex earlier."

"I'm not five."

"Ah true, but I know you."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

* * *

 

Charles woke up alone. He blinked, looking around for Erik and swallowing the bile in his throat when he recognized the blue-grey hue of the room. He hadn't been  _here_ for some time. He remembered fighting with Apocalypse here. He remembered almost dying here.  

But why was he back here?

It didn't make sense. Nothing was attacking him, he was safe.

Charles stood and moved through the stillness. He moved for the door handle but paused when his grey-blue coloring was bathed in orange. He looked up in horror and threw the door open.

"Jean?"

He blinked at his student standing at the end of the hall, the orange light coming from behind her and her red hair moving as if flame. He blinked against the harsh color before shouting once more, "Jean!"

"Xavier," she sounded like Jean but Charles took a step back, because whatever that was  _it wasn't Jean,_ "I must offer my thanks."

"Who-what are you?"

"You already know."

_"Charles."_

"What are you talking about?!"

_"Charles."_

"Oh don't worry, you'll figure it out soon enough."

_"Charles!"_

"Don't hurt her."

"Oh don't worry, I'm not hurting her yet."

**_"Charles!"_ **

****His eyes snapped open and he found Erik staring at him with wide eyes. Hands were on his face and they were shaking. Charles shook them off and sat up, before finally letting out a shaky breath. It was only fifteen past three in the morning. "Charles..." Erik's voice was shaking and his eyes never left the telepath's face, "I couldn't find you. What happened?"

"Erik...I think I have made a huge mistake."

* * *

It was early in the morning and the tea was already cold. Erik blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before leaning forward and holding Charles' hand. "Charles, if what you're saying is true...then everyone in this school could be in danger."

"I know," Charles shook his head, brows furrowed as he leaned back in his wheelchair. He ran a hand through his graying hair before finally sighing, "I know. But, we can't be too rash about this. If we worry them then it would be chaos. She is a valuable resource to the X-Men and if there is even a minuscule chance she could turn on us, then we have to act. Erik...it would tear them apart."

"We can't talk about this like there isn't a chance for her to snap right now." Erik shot back, his grip tightened slightly before he finally finished with, "We have to be ready."

"I know, Erik, I know. But that's why I want-"

"Oh, you two look like shit."

Erik rolled his eyes and released Charles' hand before focusing on the new Mutant, "Oh, hello Logan. I'd usually say the same to you but I'm feeling nice today. Besides, it's too early for you to be an ass."

Logan chuckled, sitting down at the third chair at the table before tossing his legs up onto the remaining chair. He yawned and took a hit off of his cigar. "Sometimes you make me wonder why I bothered tracking this place down."

That was true, the man had tracked the school down with memories a mess and little to no information other than  _find Charles_. It had taken the telepath weeks to put the mess of memories together and nearly two months for Logan to be, well the Logan they knew back in '73. Charles chuckled and leaned forward, eyes glittering oddly. "Well, you obviously missed us."

"You, maybe," He barked a laugh and pointed a finger at Erik, "him, not so much."

Erik yawned and stood, stretching to the point his spine cracked. "It's almost seven. I'm going to go make sure the sparring course is still set up. I hope the wind last night didn't break anything."

Logan raised an eyebrow, "Hmn, I don't remember any storm last night."

"Eh, probably hit our side of the house more." Erik shrugged and moved from the kitchen, passing Psylocke and nodding as a greeting before disappearing.

Psylocke blinked, dark eyes catching the two sitting at the table before she laid a sealed envelope in front of the Professor. She took Erik's empty chair before saying simply, "This was left in the mail for you. Raven seems to have been busy."

Charles blinked and wasted no time in tearing into the letter. He read it in even less time. "It appears she requires the assistance of the X-Men."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the feedback! It really means a lot. :) 
> 
> ~Just a warning: Updates may take a bit longer, seeing that I'm still in school.~

"I'm entrusting you to lead them," Charles said simply, eyes staring past Erik as the other man stared down at him as the two descended down into the halls of Cerebro by way of the elevator, "they'll need your guidance if they are to function as a team. Besides, you're the only one who can pull them apart when they decide to fight."

Erik chuckled, "You're worried Logan and Scott are going to get into a fist fight aren't you?" Charles' laughter through their bond was more than enough and it sent waves of warmth down his spine, "Why don't you just send Alex to keep them from killing one another?"

"Because you are a bit scarier than Alex," Charles laughed, "Besides, he is giving a history lecture on Vietnam from a soldier's point of view. Psylocke and I can also handle all of the children. We are competent without you, Erik." Charles said the last bit with a kind smile and Erik shook his head. 

"Why don't you call her Betsey? Isn't that her name?"

"She doesn't like it." Charles replied, looking away from his partner as the doors opened and a cold draft of air struck them, "She says it's what the people called her before they turned away. She made her new name and she doesn't care for her other one. I have no transgressions against her preferred name."

"Understandable," Erik shrugged, remembering how he would correct those who still referred to him as 'Magneto', "but, do you think the children can handle this? This is their first mission where it's not fighting an actual evil," Charles blinked when images of Apocalypse flashed through his mind, "but humans. There's a difference between fighting something and seeing what other things,  _humans_ are capable of."

Charles raised an eyebrow, "I believe in them." He wheeled from the elevator, speaking all the while as he moved down the hallway to the door that blocked Cerebro from the outside world, "Besides, that's why I need you there. You've seen more than your fair share of suffering and you can lead them to something other than a poisonous rage better than I ever could."

"You want me to teach them not to hate the whole of humanity because of a few people?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It took you a long time to forget your hate and learn that lesson, so I'd rather cut the problem off at the neck."

Erik pursed his lips as Charles paused at the door, a blue light shining against his eyes before turning into a symbolic X. The robotic voice of  _Hello Professor_ greeted them just as the german man let out a sigh, "Let's just hope this isn't a hydra."

Charles tossed a look over his shoulders, eyebrow raised. Erik shrugged and Charles sighed, finally wheeling to the podium. Erik crossed his arms over his chest as the telepath placed the helmet on his head.

And the room exploded into technicolor. 

Mutants glowed red and Erik blinked at the sheer numbers. Charles laughed at Erik's reaction before the world started to turn towards Europe instead of California, as Erik expected. Charles blinked and closed his eyes only slightly, allowing many of the red shapes to disappear before a voice filtered through. 

 _"Charles, what the hell? I told you not to do that."_ Raven sounded annoyed at her brother's intrusion but the smile in her voice was hard to miss,  _"What do you want? I'm in the middle of an airport. Wait. You always seem to catch me at an airport."_

The telepath laughed and said curtly, "Well, you alway seem to be in one. I take it you're going to meet the team in California? Or are you stopping by the school?"

Raven paused and her voice filtered through after a few moments,  _"I'm going to stop by an informant in the Carribean first but once I'm done with that I'm going to stop at the school. But there's a bit of information I found about the ring in California."_

"What is it?"

 _"It has ties to high-ranking military officials in the Mutant-Control Boards."_ Raven's voice was tight and the way it shook slightly was more than enough to tell both of the men who had a hand in the ring,  _"and the man in it is our very own William Stryker. I thought he'd be out of this business after the Weapons X Project came to light."_

Charles and Erik shared a look remembering the Weapon X currently upstairs, probably smoking his cigar and ignoring the way the _Adamantium_ felt in his bones. The Project had come to light to the various government officials that could do something about it, but it hadn't gone public, so William Stryker was still a high ranking general now. Charles was biding his time to leak it should Stryker ever give them problems again, but he hadn't been a part of their lives since Apocalypse. 

"How did you find this out?"

 _"Drunk English guy in a bar_ ," Raven snickered over the line,  _"But, if you can break that ring up and expose it, then Stryker could go down for this. He wouldn't be a worry anymore, no more attempts at Anti-Mutant Legislation."_

"From the military that is."

 _"Of course,"_ Raven sighed, her voice sad before she finally said,  _"I have to get going. The plane is starting to board and I want to catch a few hours of sleep. Talk to you later, Charles."_ Charles blinked, the lights lifted and suddenly the silver wall could be seen. 

Erik stepped up behind his partner, large hand gripping Charles' shoulder both tight and comforting. "Stryker won't play nice. You know that. He'll use any means necessary to paint you as the villain and plenty of people will agree with him."

"What do you suppose I do?" Charles snapped, blue eyes angry for a split second before he blinked in shock at the outburst. He continued after a moment, "I'm not leaving those people. And what is Stryker going to do? He can't hurt this school-"

"He has before."

"but if he does then the law can deal with him." Charles finished before he met Erik's gaze head on, "I do recall saying  _I pity the poor soul who comes to my school looking for trouble,_ do you not?"

Erik frowned and stared up into the silver of Cerebro. "I do, but something tells me that Stryker won't care."

* * *

 

"So, Chuck," Logan chuckled, squashing his cigar underfoot as he made preparations to board Hank's Blackbird, "you sure you want me out there? I mean...I could hurt someone. It wasn't until last week that I stopped trying to cut  _you_ into pieces and I don't want to think what I could do in a gunfight."

Charles stepped forward, his legs were shaky but the braces kept him upright and even then, Psylocke was at his side ready to catch him. He smiled lightly, clapping the man on the shoulder before letting out a sigh, "That's why I'll be watching through Cerebro. If anything happens I can intervene and if that somehow doesn't work, then Jean can always help. She is a competent telepath."

"I can see that," Logan sighed and Charles caught the edge of  _RedHairHandOnHisFace.FindCharles.TheHeadPieceIsGone._ and then he was back in real time, "but," Logan took a breath to collect himself and to square his shoulders, "I'm going to trust ya Chuck."

"Thank you, Logan. I won't let you down."

The two shared a smile as if they had been friends for consecutive years, not the odd allies that had worked together during 1973. Psylocke laughed, poking a finger into Logan's shoulder with enough force to send the larger man back a step, "Go on, old man, the plane is going to leave with you."

"Whatever." The elder mutant rolled his eyes but his voice held only subdued laughter, "I'll fight with ya when I get back."

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

And Logan took the steps up into the Blackbird. The door closed after him and the remaining two mutants retreated to avoid any falling debris when the hatch opened over the basketball courts. Charles blinked, checking above for any children but he let out a sigh when he realized that Alex was overseeing a swimming expedition in the lake on the other side of the campus.

The Blackbird rose and with an oddly and futuristic silent engine, it was gone. The hangar doors closed again and suddenly it was just the two mutants. It wasn't even five minutes before Charles felt his bond with Erik lengthening and being pulled tighter, but never snapping. He doubted it could. 

"So," Psylocke said flatly, looking at the shorter man before finishing, "do you really think this can end well?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen those mutant trafficking rings and what they do to people," her eyes went  _dark_ and Charles shivered. Her posture straightened suddenly and there was a moment when Charles expecting her to summon a weapon. He thought ahead and grounded her by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sighed and continued, "and it's not something you want to see. Trust me, those kids are better off not having to see that. They're better off not seeing what the people are like when they're free."

Charles frowned and he remembered  _feeling_ those same emotions, from hundreds of mutants across the states. He had been young...too young to ever feel that type of violation but it had happened anyway. He shook the feeling away and finally sighed, "You're right but if they see something like that and think all humans do that then...then it will be the opposite of what I'm trying to do."

"You're controlling their opinions."

"I'm educating them." Charles shot back, shoulders squared but then they dropped and he sighed, "We should go, Alex can only keep the children at the lake for so long. And the lake is on the edge of the property where my family cemetery is. I'd rather not have the younger children squeezing through the gate bars."

Psylocke smiled, throwing her dark hair over her shoulder before walking with Charles to the elevator, "That's a good idea. Afraid they'd crack open a mausoleum?"

"Definitely."

Charles blinked once they were in the elevator. He leaned against the wall while the woman quickly type in the floor they were to be taken too. Psylocke leaned back patiently, while the telepath merely closed his eyes and  _reached_ for the bond that kept him tethered to Erik. He could feel Erik realize because the second contact was made, a wave of warmth spread across the forefront of his mind. 

Charles fought the smile when Erik just sent  _Miss Me?_ across their line. 

 _Oh, you wish._ Charles shot back. He reached for the others in the Blackbird, an easy feat for a telepath of Charles' strength-

he hit a wall. 

The telepath's eyes snapped open and he sucked in a breath lightly. Psylocke never looked at him, never saw the way he drowned in confusion or the way he drowned in horror when he reached again. He reached for the telepath in the plane, praying Jean could make contact. 

He couldn't. 

Instead, he found a burning presence blocking him from them. 

And it pulled him in.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Charles registered was that he felt like he was on fire. It was painful and he could feel his telepathy squirming and trying to drag itself away but whatever had him wasn't letting him go. He lashed out on instinct, mind curling around at the seams to provide defense and for fraying edges to get away from the burning mass. Something screeched and his eyes flew open. 

He was back in the elevator, Psylocke just barely pressing the floor button. He swallowed. She hadn't noticed, not yet anyway. 

And he was yanked away. 

Whatever it was that was attacking him was angry. Fire burned at the edges of his mind but Charles threw up his shields to deflect the fire and it worked, only slightly at best. He hissed and opened his eyes. 

He wasn't in the elevator, instead, he was in a burning ruin. He looked up, seeing that dark blue of the night sky being turned gray with the smoke that rose from the flames. He coughed harshly, trying to breathe in oxygen but only succeeding in breathing in smoke. The fire burned around him, get closer and closer but never touching. He couldn't move. He couldn't move because he didn't want to think about what would happen if those flames touched him. 

 _"Telepath_." Charles' telepathy cowered away under that voice and he stepped back. It wasn't in Jean's voice anymore, it wasn't like any voice anymore. It thrummed through his mind and sent him spiraling, it didn't need a language to hurt him.  _"Good to see you again."_

He looked up and saw that the flames weren't flames after all. They took the form of a great bird and he swallowed. He was in the talons of the great creature and he was so close to being torn apart. He couldn't fight this thing, he wasn't strong enough. "What...what are you?"

There was a grating sound that sounded like nails on a chalkboard and metal being dragged across teeth. Charles shivered and tried to shrink away from the laughter but it was too late, he was trapped. 

The flames flared brightly and they didn't even touch Charles but the telepath was sent sprawling by the sheer force of the telepathy. He couldn't retain the thoughts that hit him, he couldn't breathe properly, his eyesight was going dark at the edges. 

_"I am older than you. I was alive long before buildings and I will be here long after they're gone. You, telepath, can't hope to win this."_

He sat up, digging his nails into the floor to keep himself grounded. If he lost here he would die out there. This wasn't a conversation, this was a prelude to a much bigger fight. If he was stronger he could end this now. But, he wasn't. 

"That's not exactly an answer."

And the flames moved. 

His eyes went wide as they curled towards him, grasping at him like he was a prize to be won. He squeezed his eyes shut and simply  _reacted_. There was an odd screech of pain? Anger? Shock? He couldn't tell. He opened his eyes when the flames never hit him. 

 _"You are full of surprises, aren't you little telepath?"_ The creature thundered through the crackling of flames and the curling of black smoke.  _"I thought I killed you and that waste of power."_

That got his attention. Charles blinked and he stared upwards, ignoring how the light burned into his eyes. "You mean...Apocalypse?"

 _"If that's whatever you call him, then,"_ there was a pause and Charles stepped back as the fire moved, almost as if the creature was coming down to be at eye-level with him, " _yes. I thought I killed him...but, he's just right there. Not doing anything."_

Charles blinked and blood roared in his ears. A bead of sweat dripped down his face and he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. Yellow glowed around him and he could feel eyes burning through him. 

"You're lying."

_"Oh, little telepath. I've never lied to anyone."_

Charles narrowed his eyes and steeled himself against the feeling of horror washing over him. He swallowed and focused on his telepathy. He was getting out of here. He remembered this thing. He called it out. And everything that happens now would be his fault. 

"I let you out." Charles looked up and his fists clenched, "And it's my job to end this."

_"You're not strong enough."_

"I'm still going to do it anyway."

The grated laughter was back and Charles focused his mind. He had always known his telepathy was a thing made for attack instead of defense and now it was his time to show it. He focused and lashed out. The creature-no,  _Phoenix_ screeched in something akin to pain and Charles shook himself free. 

His eyes snapped open as the elevator dinged for their floor. Psylocke glanced back, eyebrows raised as if she was going to ask him a question but she only moved forwards and out. Charles pushed himself off the cold wall of the elevator and moved with shaky legs. He swallowed and looked down at his arm when the tingling started. His hand trembled as he pushed the coat sleeve up and he felt sick when he saw what was under it.

The burns he had received in Cairo from the failed transcendence were glittering an odd gold color. He swallowed and rested his hand across them, only to find them  _burning_ with a heat that wasn't humanly possible. 

"Charles? Are you coming?" Psylocke called from the end of the hall, "I still have a croquet game set up in the yard!"

"Yeah," He called back, his voice losing all of the false cheeriness when he shoved his sleeves back down, "I'll be there in a minute."

* * *

 

"ETA is three hours," Erik said to the assembled group of X-Men, "and once we arrive I expect our mission to go smoothly and without a hitch. This mission is important and if we fail this could mean that everyone there could end up dead or worse."

"Do I want to know wat worse is?" Peter asked with an eyebrow raised as he ran a hand through his silver hair. His signature goggles rested on his lap, "Wait, wait, shit. Nevermind. I think I have an idea."

Logan took a hit off his cigar, leaned forward and blew smoke in Erik's face. Once Erik was done coughing and muttering curses in German that made Kurt turn a dark shade of violet, Logan looked back at Peter. "Oh trust me, sunshine, you don't have  _any_ idea."

Peter frowned and Jean rested her head against the chair, her hand in Scott's as she spoke, "What's the plan? They'll most definitely have anti-mutant ability precautions set up if Mystique's maps are still correct."

Erik blinked, thought for a moment before he leaned forward towards them. He stopped when his seatbelt stopped his movement. "We'll wait until nightfall to start the mission. But, once it starts, Ororo will bring in a thunderstorm while Peter, Hank, and Logan will make sure all exits are blocked. The rest of us will go in and I can melt all metal in the building to stop all mutant tech from working."

"A sound plan," Ororo nodded, white hair glowing in the half light. She still hadn't changed her hair cut but the white hadn't darkened at all, it appeared to be permanent. "But what about the children?"

"We'll get them out once the threats are neutralized."

Logan snorted, "Ever heard of human shields? You think these assholes are above using children to save their skin?"

"That's what Jean is for."

The red headed girl nodded, "The Professor has been teaching me how to neutralize many targets at once. They'll be unconscious so all the children should be able to get out fine."

The plane lurched as turbulence rocked them, but it stopped once Ororo's eyes went white. She blinked and her eyes went back to their usual dark but the problem was that it didn't stop. Ororo blinked, "There isn't any wind."

Everyone looked at one another, then to Erik who shook his head and then to Jean who shook her head. Everyone stared in horror but said nothing. Jean screwed her eyes shut in fear and the turbulence stopped after a few moments. Everyone was silent and Hank called back, "Get some sleep, this is your last chance for awhile."

The children appeared to listen, but the fear never really left their expressions. Logan and Erik shared a look, dark eyes meeting blue. There was a moment where they both realized that neither knew what had caused it. Logan breathed a cloud of gray smoke into the air before shaking his head, "Maybe we're screwed after all, huh?"

"Shut up, Logan."

Erik closed his eyes even though he wasn't looking for sleep. He reached for the bright wire of the bond in his mind and when he reached for it, he shivered. There was no one on the other end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the feedback! It's keeping me going!! :)


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